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Ya know how when you have an idea in mind, you parse all the evidence your senses collect to fit with that idea? I'm worried I might be doing that, as all the little clues I'm picking up point to a snowballing collapse of the capitalist system.
So if any of y'all have evidence-based causes for optimism, please do share. I kinda miss being an optimist.
But just in case I'm right, getcher Karno comix and commissions while we still have an internet, and a valid currency to trade through it. Although, as I've said before, I gladly accept barter.
So if any of y'all have evidence-based causes for optimism, please do share. I kinda miss being an optimist.
But just in case I'm right, getcher Karno comix and commissions while we still have an internet, and a valid currency to trade through it. Although, as I've said before, I gladly accept barter.
Category All / All
Species Giraffe
Size 600 x 812px
File Size 66.1 kB
With how things are right now, you've got the right idea. Trading art for ammo. We have to wait until the local gun show comes to town and be there the second they open in order to get any ammo right now...every store in town is sold out or being sneaky bastards and only selling if you're buying a gun as well.
Tip: Forget guns. Train with bow, crossbow or sling. Most people with guns will quickly run out of ammo Arrows and bolts can be made by hand. Bows as well, crossbows are more difficult. But slings? Can be made in various ways and ammo is just laying on the ground. In long-term survival, forget guns. They are good for short terms though..
If you're in that much of a hurry just get a 6 foot long stick with a sharpened point on one end and a 1 foot stick with a notch in it.
You now have a spear and a atlatl.
Or, you could be like me and join the SCA and have all these primitive weapons and more pre-made and hanging next to your swords and armor on the living room wall next to the awards you've won for using said weapons.
You now have a spear and a atlatl.
Or, you could be like me and join the SCA and have all these primitive weapons and more pre-made and hanging next to your swords and armor on the living room wall next to the awards you've won for using said weapons.
Yep, all tried and true. Just as Karno said it in an older comic of his, an intelligent man is never unarmed.
About the SCA, nice group, Ive been with them for a while, but problems on my side made me stop going to events (lack of time, money (both not prime neccessties, I knwo) and a few personal reasons which had nothing to do with the people. It's been a while, but I still remember the events fondly. And I shall return.
Yeah, if you've got some way to cock it, and some steel cable for the string. Oh, and a piece of steel rod for the bolt, since wood won't survive the forces. Even one from a subcompact would have a pull of about 500 pounds. Pull the spring from an SUV or pickup and that number can easily triple.
I could only get a 500 lbs draw if I used the full spring from a 1 ton pickup.
I would hate to have to carry that sucker and the cranequin or windlass would be a bitch to crank.
I'm not talking about siege equipment.
I'm talking about a real crossbow that is still light enough to carry but with enough stopping power to bring down a man.
My bow is made from an old, second-hand spring so I don't know where it came from.
The bow is 36 inches unstrung and has a draw of 16 inches.
I get about 140 lbs draw so I use a simple goat's hook and fire wooden arrows.
Actually it's anti-government paranoids buying into the NRA hype that are buying up all the ammo and hoarding firearms because they THINK the government's going to take their guns. It's making the gun industry crazy profits and screwing over hobbyists and hunters that just fire off at the range and/or at game.
Here in Brazil, there was a police strike last year. The policemen invaded the main justice court to protest against their salaries, and the government ordered the army to surround the policemen in case things went bad. The policemen responded to this by asking their families, women and children to join the strike, entering the court building with supplies.
Then a group of strikers, a -big- group of strikers approached the military, asking to speak with the commander of the operation.
They found him.
And they hugged him. It was his birthday.
They even brought cake.
Then a group of strikers, a -big- group of strikers approached the military, asking to speak with the commander of the operation.
They found him.
And they hugged him. It was his birthday.
They even brought cake.
V. good, and an insta-save. Whufffo I not +watch before now?
Heck, the usual excuse, I suppose; Being up to your ass in alligators makes it hard to
remember that you were intending to nuke the whole #$%^$%^ friggin' sink of foul
dismal pestilence into a glowing fiery *hole* in the ground, bwahahaha!!!
Ahem. You drain the swamp your way, I'll drain it mine. :- )
Glorious work, all of it I've ever seen. Please don't get hit by a bus. Or, if it all
does come apart, an ox-cart.
FB.
(PS: Shall we say, my avatar's blade is symbolic of a similar attitude.)
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The FA Writers Directory v 1.0
Heck, the usual excuse, I suppose; Being up to your ass in alligators makes it hard to
remember that you were intending to nuke the whole #$%^$%^ friggin' sink of foul
dismal pestilence into a glowing fiery *hole* in the ground, bwahahaha!!!
Ahem. You drain the swamp your way, I'll drain it mine. :- )
Glorious work, all of it I've ever seen. Please don't get hit by a bus. Or, if it all
does come apart, an ox-cart.
FB.
(PS: Shall we say, my avatar's blade is symbolic of a similar attitude.)
●●●●●●●●●●
The FA Writers Directory v 1.0
I fear, anything I could say would only add to the evidence.
I know from a technological point of view we are able to make a better world for everyone.
From a social point of view we should work towards it (at least that's what we should do. if human and other rights truely meant something).
But it's greed that stops us. Greed that will destroy us. Greed that is unnecessary and unreasonable. It is downright stupid.
I also fear it will be a bloody mess.
Faith in the future? No.
Hope for the future? Yes. Otherwhise I would not be here anymore. I can tell you that, I always will have hope. I know what humanity is capable of, the good and the bad stuff. No matter how bad it gets, I will always have hope.
I know from a technological point of view we are able to make a better world for everyone.
From a social point of view we should work towards it (at least that's what we should do. if human and other rights truely meant something).
But it's greed that stops us. Greed that will destroy us. Greed that is unnecessary and unreasonable. It is downright stupid.
I also fear it will be a bloody mess.
Faith in the future? No.
Hope for the future? Yes. Otherwhise I would not be here anymore. I can tell you that, I always will have hope. I know what humanity is capable of, the good and the bad stuff. No matter how bad it gets, I will always have hope.
Ok...
The Law of Accelerating Returns is bringing rapidly increasing gains in computing power, as the machines of the present are used to craft the machines of tomorrow. Computing is constantly improving at a faster and faster rate, and disseminating throughout the world with unprecedented speed. This is even true in places like Africa, where the growth of wireless technology is allowing impoverished nations to skip a major and costly step of infrastructure building. Commerce in Africa is increasingly driven by wireless communication, and has experienced a boom in response - still well behind nations like the USA, but moving far faster than previously. There, and worldwide, infant mortality is on the decline, as is extreme poverty, and education level is rising. The braying idiots on Fox News may make you think otherwise, but overall, people are getting smarter.
Health and medicine are becoming information technologies, and hence hitching a ride on the exponential curve. There are multiple projects underway to use 3D printing technology to create implantable organs, including several startups. Medical imaging technology is growing by leaps and bounds, and with it our ability to watch various cancers and neurodegenerative diseases at work, and boosting the speed of scientific discovery in the process. The smartphone revolution is enabling the individual to track their health like never before. Indeed, personalized medicine seems to be the way of the future, as the cost of genome sequencing is tumbling, and will eventually enable drugs and other treatments tailored to a patient's genetic makeup. New and novel ideas for fighting cancer are being discovered, such as injecting tumor-attacking nanoparticles into the bloodstream. We've identified methods via animal testing by which we will, in the future, be able to make minute alterations to the DNA of living humans. Human augmentation, both biological and mechanical, will eventually be the norm (which should be of interest to furries, for obvious reasons :-P ). In fact, some believe we may "defeat" the aging process entirely within 30 years.
The efficiency of solar panels is rising rapidly thanks to the explosion of research into nanomaterials, and some estimates predict that the cost of photovoltaic energy will achieve parity with fossil fuels in 2017 (and keep improving from there!). Synthetic microorganisms have been created in labs that can be used to produce biofuels through photosynthesis-like processes, and are being developed for commercial use. Improved power storage techniques such as liquid metal batteries are on the way. The stage is set for the arrival of cheap, eventually nearly free, energy, which will have a cascading effect on nearly every aspect of human civilization. For instance, many predict struggles in the future over declining sources of fresh water - but guess what free energy allows us to do with those gigantic oceans that cover most of our planet? (Also, improved desalinization techniques are in development)
And overall, thanks to the Internet, mankind is overall better connected, informed, and empowered on an individual level than ever before. 3D printing is going to usher in a revolution in home manufacturing, and will eventually lead to things like printed food and clothing. Hackerspaces are springing up all over the globe, and becoming spaces where like-minded individuals can pool their efforts, sometimes with amazing results.
So, yeah. Things are better than you think.
The Law of Accelerating Returns is bringing rapidly increasing gains in computing power, as the machines of the present are used to craft the machines of tomorrow. Computing is constantly improving at a faster and faster rate, and disseminating throughout the world with unprecedented speed. This is even true in places like Africa, where the growth of wireless technology is allowing impoverished nations to skip a major and costly step of infrastructure building. Commerce in Africa is increasingly driven by wireless communication, and has experienced a boom in response - still well behind nations like the USA, but moving far faster than previously. There, and worldwide, infant mortality is on the decline, as is extreme poverty, and education level is rising. The braying idiots on Fox News may make you think otherwise, but overall, people are getting smarter.
Health and medicine are becoming information technologies, and hence hitching a ride on the exponential curve. There are multiple projects underway to use 3D printing technology to create implantable organs, including several startups. Medical imaging technology is growing by leaps and bounds, and with it our ability to watch various cancers and neurodegenerative diseases at work, and boosting the speed of scientific discovery in the process. The smartphone revolution is enabling the individual to track their health like never before. Indeed, personalized medicine seems to be the way of the future, as the cost of genome sequencing is tumbling, and will eventually enable drugs and other treatments tailored to a patient's genetic makeup. New and novel ideas for fighting cancer are being discovered, such as injecting tumor-attacking nanoparticles into the bloodstream. We've identified methods via animal testing by which we will, in the future, be able to make minute alterations to the DNA of living humans. Human augmentation, both biological and mechanical, will eventually be the norm (which should be of interest to furries, for obvious reasons :-P ). In fact, some believe we may "defeat" the aging process entirely within 30 years.
The efficiency of solar panels is rising rapidly thanks to the explosion of research into nanomaterials, and some estimates predict that the cost of photovoltaic energy will achieve parity with fossil fuels in 2017 (and keep improving from there!). Synthetic microorganisms have been created in labs that can be used to produce biofuels through photosynthesis-like processes, and are being developed for commercial use. Improved power storage techniques such as liquid metal batteries are on the way. The stage is set for the arrival of cheap, eventually nearly free, energy, which will have a cascading effect on nearly every aspect of human civilization. For instance, many predict struggles in the future over declining sources of fresh water - but guess what free energy allows us to do with those gigantic oceans that cover most of our planet? (Also, improved desalinization techniques are in development)
And overall, thanks to the Internet, mankind is overall better connected, informed, and empowered on an individual level than ever before. 3D printing is going to usher in a revolution in home manufacturing, and will eventually lead to things like printed food and clothing. Hackerspaces are springing up all over the globe, and becoming spaces where like-minded individuals can pool their efforts, sometimes with amazing results.
So, yeah. Things are better than you think.
http://www.abundancethebook.com/
This is a great read, and really makes a good argument for a post-scarcity future. I'm not saying that there's no potential for some huge cataclysm (in fact, most of these rising technologies have a dark side as well - synthetic organism tech could also be used to make superpathogens, for example). But, in general, humanity has muddled its way through every major upheaval thus far, and thanks to science, our muddling abilities are getting better, fast.
This is a great read, and really makes a good argument for a post-scarcity future. I'm not saying that there's no potential for some huge cataclysm (in fact, most of these rising technologies have a dark side as well - synthetic organism tech could also be used to make superpathogens, for example). But, in general, humanity has muddled its way through every major upheaval thus far, and thanks to science, our muddling abilities are getting better, fast.
I dunno about optimism, but I could suggest alternatives.
I think that valuable goods and skills are going to be a part of whatever future is coming down the pipe, but I can't help but wonder if prepping to repel raiders might be a self-fulfilling prophesy. It's an adversarial mindset with more than a dash of Mad Max romanticism mixed into it. Real protection comes in the form of community; distributed expertise makes co-operation more advantageous than theft. Regional specialization means trade between communities; we just do away with the power-hungry greedhead middle men, and the system works. That's not to say that everyone will play nice, but you don't need a corporate-run economy to have a more or less unified police force.
Advanced technology will be a problem, on account of we have become entirely dependent on morally bankrupt foreign powers to fill our need for... a lot of stuff. That's why we need to dust off our lost crafts. It might be a life without World of Warcraft, but at least it won't be a world without pottery. If you want to prep, then arguably the most important thing to hoard is stuff like military engineering handbooks, the Popular Mechanics Encyclopedia, repair manuals, Harrowsmith back issues, etc. These will be your Internet substitute when it comes to building a steam-powered car or biogas compressor.
It's selfish of me to say, I suppose, but act to prevent total collapse where possible - some of us, through no fault of our own, are biologically incapable of surviving a total economic apocalypse. When the pharmaceutical industry goes down, anyone who requires perishable medication to live is doomed pretty much within the year. This is a worst case scenario, but not an unavoidable one. We've been fucking around, continuing to foster our reliance on those who are ruining us because they're just so damned convenient. Life after the train wreck they're leading us into? Not so convenient. Better to give up a little than lose it all.
I think that valuable goods and skills are going to be a part of whatever future is coming down the pipe, but I can't help but wonder if prepping to repel raiders might be a self-fulfilling prophesy. It's an adversarial mindset with more than a dash of Mad Max romanticism mixed into it. Real protection comes in the form of community; distributed expertise makes co-operation more advantageous than theft. Regional specialization means trade between communities; we just do away with the power-hungry greedhead middle men, and the system works. That's not to say that everyone will play nice, but you don't need a corporate-run economy to have a more or less unified police force.
Advanced technology will be a problem, on account of we have become entirely dependent on morally bankrupt foreign powers to fill our need for... a lot of stuff. That's why we need to dust off our lost crafts. It might be a life without World of Warcraft, but at least it won't be a world without pottery. If you want to prep, then arguably the most important thing to hoard is stuff like military engineering handbooks, the Popular Mechanics Encyclopedia, repair manuals, Harrowsmith back issues, etc. These will be your Internet substitute when it comes to building a steam-powered car or biogas compressor.
It's selfish of me to say, I suppose, but act to prevent total collapse where possible - some of us, through no fault of our own, are biologically incapable of surviving a total economic apocalypse. When the pharmaceutical industry goes down, anyone who requires perishable medication to live is doomed pretty much within the year. This is a worst case scenario, but not an unavoidable one. We've been fucking around, continuing to foster our reliance on those who are ruining us because they're just so damned convenient. Life after the train wreck they're leading us into? Not so convenient. Better to give up a little than lose it all.
If you think that some sort of societal collapse is within any kind of likelihood for the next 50-75 years (barring large scale disaster scenarios, meteor or what have you) you are definitely parsing data to fit your conclusions. Not to say that you shouldnt be ready for a hurricane Katrina style disruption in your particular area, but large scale? Very unlikely. The great depression didn't take us out and our little half-decade hiccup is nothing in comparison. A few fellow gun owners I know have this same sort of survivalist theory that things will go all wild west and they'll be the ones who are ready. I think its more fantasy for most people like that, they want a simpler life or no govt or something. Anyway, it's not going to happen. You're stuck in corporate America baby, better get used to the idea. Get your 401k ready, you'll need that to survive your retirement a lot more than you'll need bars of silver or stockpiles of ammo for an apocalypse that's never coming. Dow Jones and S&P 500 are at record highs this week for crap's sake.
Also, if you feel your views are becoming skewed take a look at where you get your info, and branch out. Look at what Everyone is saying. For instance if you only watch fox news the economy is obviously not recovering, because nothing good can happen on Obama's watch obviously because hes the worst president ever lol. Not to say that there are many other news agencies that are good at what they do, sadly, its all treated like entertainment now. Give people news that agrees with what they already think so they can feel right and have warm fuzzie feelings associated with our advertiser's products...oy.
Also, if you feel your views are becoming skewed take a look at where you get your info, and branch out. Look at what Everyone is saying. For instance if you only watch fox news the economy is obviously not recovering, because nothing good can happen on Obama's watch obviously because hes the worst president ever lol. Not to say that there are many other news agencies that are good at what they do, sadly, its all treated like entertainment now. Give people news that agrees with what they already think so they can feel right and have warm fuzzie feelings associated with our advertiser's products...oy.
Wow, things must be pretty severe. You'd rather gear up and hunker down here in the states with the surplus unstable and highly erratic people we have here, rather than head back over to Iceland. I'm sort of curious as to what you saw that inspired you to feel staying was the better idea.
life is good for this little guy. I discovered freedom to change behavior that slow me down and that made it possible for me to inch ahead again.
i turn off the news, step away from the internet mostly. stated doing work on improving me and let the rest of the world spin
i look at my budget cut everything including cable started living on less then i made. started lonking for and found two better pay jobs
i caught the dave Ramsay dream of being debt free and i am 1/2 way thier now. set reasonable goal.
am i getting laugh at cause i living like a broke collage student and have old stuff. yes i am and it ok. i know in the future no matter what comes about i will be ok.
how many years has business been around i think it here to stay.
If apocolpys happens i have housebuilding experience that to volenteer at habit for humantiy. Resource management and self denial for long term gain (budget). I learning to cook. it saves money and is another skill.
build skills inside of you , that something that can never be taken away.
I think we have our challenges but we also are a race of wonder and doers and we have the power to change our world.
i turn off the news, step away from the internet mostly. stated doing work on improving me and let the rest of the world spin
i look at my budget cut everything including cable started living on less then i made. started lonking for and found two better pay jobs
i caught the dave Ramsay dream of being debt free and i am 1/2 way thier now. set reasonable goal.
am i getting laugh at cause i living like a broke collage student and have old stuff. yes i am and it ok. i know in the future no matter what comes about i will be ok.
how many years has business been around i think it here to stay.
If apocolpys happens i have housebuilding experience that to volenteer at habit for humantiy. Resource management and self denial for long term gain (budget). I learning to cook. it saves money and is another skill.
build skills inside of you , that something that can never be taken away.
I think we have our challenges but we also are a race of wonder and doers and we have the power to change our world.
This is a perfect way to do things, and I just wish I could get my fiance on board with this, but she is convinced that if she isn't getting everything she wants that is shiny, fancy pr as nice as her friends, that somehow we are less than them. Me, I can live without cable, and listen to music on the radio, or read books. Her, the cable has to be on 24/7 on every tv, laptop going and IPad on her lap on the net. I have an older truck that's long paid for, but she is unhappy because she doesn't have a Mercedes like her sister. Nothing wrong with my Explorer 4x4, still looks nearly new though it is 17 years old.
Personaly, I'm thinking when things do get rough, she and I might part ways, because she isn't willing to live like we have to in order to stay within our means. Her=ca
Personaly, I'm thinking when things do get rough, she and I might part ways, because she isn't willing to live like we have to in order to stay within our means. Her=ca
she is convinced that if she isn't getting everything she wants that is shiny, fancy pr as nice as her friends, that somehow we are less than them.
He who dies with the most toys is still dead.
I don't understand the principle of keeping up with the Joneses. So long as my neighbors don't have the ability to deprive me of property and opportunity, I don't care how they compare to me.
Who cares if they have an iPad and I don't, when there's millions of people in this country without health insurance? Gadgets are toys -- health is a human right. I'd rather direct my social frustrations towards the bankers and politicians, rather than worry if I have the biggest TV or the sportiest car on the block.
He who dies with the most toys is still dead.
I don't understand the principle of keeping up with the Joneses. So long as my neighbors don't have the ability to deprive me of property and opportunity, I don't care how they compare to me.
Who cares if they have an iPad and I don't, when there's millions of people in this country without health insurance? Gadgets are toys -- health is a human right. I'd rather direct my social frustrations towards the bankers and politicians, rather than worry if I have the biggest TV or the sportiest car on the block.
You know things are definitely screwed up, when your govement dont only blatently and obviously steal from the poor to feed the rich, as in tax hikes for those well below the poverty line against those who dont pay their tax at all, but then they cut the law enforcement and military branches, so that when riots are triggered by whatever occurance, theres nothing left to handle them, so the poor get their buisinesses, homes, and lives torched.
Oh, and as for teh desalination, water wars thing, that again is an Excelent example of distraction and enforced ignornace, given OTEC units have been shown to be possible, and operational for almost 100 years now, and they are effectively 7% efficint solar power farms, whose onyl waste products are gigatons of fresh water a year, megatons of mineral, megatons of fish, and whose optimum positioning turns ut to be off the coast of Japan..
OTEC are a Desalination plant so efficint, it Generates electricity. from less than 30 degrees C water. If you have a 1970s Philips evacuated tube solar thermal panel on your roof, and couple that to a micro low pressure turbine, you can approach 40% efficincy, which is far better than the hyper expenssive stuff on the ISS.
It isnt how efficint or how expensive it is, its overall dollars a watt you count for, and noone ever considers the digester loop for sewage to energy and fertiliser conversion. Look Ma, I go a way of making fertiliser that MAKES power, or the thermal generator for power. Look Ma, that underfloor heating tank of water we put in the cellar is also generating all our power from the hot air, solid state, low pressure turbine, use as appropiate, generator.
Etc Etc.
We have had teh technology for decades, but because big companies want to make profits, they petition govts for tax cuts and subsidies to enforce the cheapness of their way against the replacements. The only way you could get renewables out is if you could make them for $1 a watt, stright off from teh beginning, no subsidies, paying 40% plus taxation, plus license fees, plus enviromental regulation and licensing etc etc. In other words, all th modern kickbackls and brown envelopes that make sure Aspirin will never again be discovered.
Oh, In Europe, Georgia, theyve been using broths of Mixes of phages to kill bacterial infections. Its the mix thats important. US companies etc when looking at them, will pick out just the one phage for the job, chuck teh rest, find out its far more expensive to make just one at a time, then find out that bacteria evolve super rapid to make that phage impotent meaning the cycle begins all over again. MEanwhile the 60 plus eyar old phage broth still kills bacteria.
Where does Georgia get its bacteria killing phages? The sewers, where the phages have evolved naturally to kil bacteria.
The sooner companies start making 20 pack mixes at 5% doseage each, th sooner people get far less sick from teh side effects than from the sickness itself.
Heres something you shuld ba asking. .if its the car engine that does all teh polluting, why do you have to wait 20 years for a wholke new car, instead of 5 years for a whole new drop in cleaner engine module. Like what Tata announced last year.
Oh, and as for teh desalination, water wars thing, that again is an Excelent example of distraction and enforced ignornace, given OTEC units have been shown to be possible, and operational for almost 100 years now, and they are effectively 7% efficint solar power farms, whose onyl waste products are gigatons of fresh water a year, megatons of mineral, megatons of fish, and whose optimum positioning turns ut to be off the coast of Japan..
OTEC are a Desalination plant so efficint, it Generates electricity. from less than 30 degrees C water. If you have a 1970s Philips evacuated tube solar thermal panel on your roof, and couple that to a micro low pressure turbine, you can approach 40% efficincy, which is far better than the hyper expenssive stuff on the ISS.
It isnt how efficint or how expensive it is, its overall dollars a watt you count for, and noone ever considers the digester loop for sewage to energy and fertiliser conversion. Look Ma, I go a way of making fertiliser that MAKES power, or the thermal generator for power. Look Ma, that underfloor heating tank of water we put in the cellar is also generating all our power from the hot air, solid state, low pressure turbine, use as appropiate, generator.
Etc Etc.
We have had teh technology for decades, but because big companies want to make profits, they petition govts for tax cuts and subsidies to enforce the cheapness of their way against the replacements. The only way you could get renewables out is if you could make them for $1 a watt, stright off from teh beginning, no subsidies, paying 40% plus taxation, plus license fees, plus enviromental regulation and licensing etc etc. In other words, all th modern kickbackls and brown envelopes that make sure Aspirin will never again be discovered.
Oh, In Europe, Georgia, theyve been using broths of Mixes of phages to kill bacterial infections. Its the mix thats important. US companies etc when looking at them, will pick out just the one phage for the job, chuck teh rest, find out its far more expensive to make just one at a time, then find out that bacteria evolve super rapid to make that phage impotent meaning the cycle begins all over again. MEanwhile the 60 plus eyar old phage broth still kills bacteria.
Where does Georgia get its bacteria killing phages? The sewers, where the phages have evolved naturally to kil bacteria.
The sooner companies start making 20 pack mixes at 5% doseage each, th sooner people get far less sick from teh side effects than from the sickness itself.
Heres something you shuld ba asking. .if its the car engine that does all teh polluting, why do you have to wait 20 years for a wholke new car, instead of 5 years for a whole new drop in cleaner engine module. Like what Tata announced last year.
The entire economic system as taught by so called "economy scientists" is based on "economic growth".
Which means, turnover and profit need to increase, as stagnation - so they teach, will lead to decay and defeat.
Succesfull on "the market" is the corporation or "market actor" that grows the fastest and makes the most profit increase every year.
Companies on the stock market are always measured by how much they increased their profit or at least their market share. A company that doesn't grow offers little profit to investors. (After all they want to get a LOT more back than they invest) so they will penalize it and it will indeed loose in value rapidly. In fact you see companies loose in market share if they simply grow less than expected!!!
Theres two things, this growth can be measured in:
- Money - which is an arbitrary construct that can increase and decrease in both volume and worth depending on many factors, and can therefore only at any given moment describe what something is worth... and
- Actual goods produced and sold/purchased for this money.
Obviously its only the latter that really matters.
Now this produced goods can be divided into two categories:
- Material goods (anything you can physically touch and buy - from a car, to a mobile phone or a computer)
- Immaterial goods (services, and so-called intellectual property (artwork, writings, poetry, software, ideas, ...)
As we saw before, our current economic system needs to keep growing. Not only that but its actually exponential growth which keeps growing faster and faster.
So how far CAN the market grow? That's easy:
Material goods are limited by the raw materials needed for them. Raw ores, and the capacity to mine them from the planet. With the vast majority of raw materials, the capacity peak limit of world deposits has been reached or surpassed (see peak oil, peak uranium, peak copper and similar things) which means not only will the growth come to a halt, it will reach a cataclysmic state, where production is reduced rapidly while raw material pices are skyrocketing as they cant keep up with demand.
Some raw mateials - like oil - have been consumed in a non-recyclable way, but in most of these cases renewable alternatives are at least thinkable. The vast majority of goods will - once depleted - only be available in the amounts regainable from recycling. Which means new goods can only be created as old goods get dismantled to recycle the raw material.
The growth possible in that system is limited by the rate one can increase the speed of this recycling+reproduction cycle. Obviously there is room for growth, but there is an obvious limit. (After all, you don't want to buy a mobile phone to make just one call, and then throw it into a recycler so a new phone can be made from the parts) So growth will eventually come to a halt and reach a maximum level determined by the available resources on the planet in circulation.
Immaterial good growth on the other hand is limited by the rate of production (which is dependant on the amount of creators and their availale time) and the rate of consumption (which is limited by the available time of consumers) You cannot listen to more music than 24/7 even if you don't sleep. Even if you listen to a different piece on the left and on the right ear, theres an obvious consimption limit per person, as there is a production limit per artist (or service provider)
The growth possible with immaterial goods is therefore limited by the growth of population on the planet. The more people the more can be produced and consumed. (Unless you use machines to produce - some say cheap soap operas can already be written by computers. But they still need to be consumed by someone stupid enough to waste their time on them, or ots completely pointless)
People however can only produce and consume immaterial goods while they have leasure time not required to obtain material goods required for live, so theres a limit here with a link to material goods.
Also the amount of people on the planet is limited by material resources directly as people need to feed and drink and need place to live. Some say the amount of world population, the planet can sustain long term has already been surpassed at 8 billion - others say if the inequalities between rich and poor countries are levelled (and everyone lives at the standard of the average poor Ethiopian !!!!!) the world MIGHT be able to sustain 10-15 billion ish.
(Mind you though that at thet level of poverty the ability to produce and consume immaterial goods would be quite limited)
We have already seen the wars fought over oil in the last ten years. They say China is planning one step ahead of such, they are actually buying up Farmland! in other countries (Afrika and eastern Europe) to be able to sustain their population with such crucial material goods as food. Once that will be disputed over, we will see a different quality of wars, because whoever looses that will literally starve.
As for the economic system, well its main driving factor - growth - is going to collapse like the empty shell it has already become.
So yes, with that assessment of the global situation, I think investing in ammunition is not the worst idea.
If in doubt though, I'd also get a knife or a sword. It doesn't run outa ammo!
Which means, turnover and profit need to increase, as stagnation - so they teach, will lead to decay and defeat.
Succesfull on "the market" is the corporation or "market actor" that grows the fastest and makes the most profit increase every year.
Companies on the stock market are always measured by how much they increased their profit or at least their market share. A company that doesn't grow offers little profit to investors. (After all they want to get a LOT more back than they invest) so they will penalize it and it will indeed loose in value rapidly. In fact you see companies loose in market share if they simply grow less than expected!!!
Theres two things, this growth can be measured in:
- Money - which is an arbitrary construct that can increase and decrease in both volume and worth depending on many factors, and can therefore only at any given moment describe what something is worth... and
- Actual goods produced and sold/purchased for this money.
Obviously its only the latter that really matters.
Now this produced goods can be divided into two categories:
- Material goods (anything you can physically touch and buy - from a car, to a mobile phone or a computer)
- Immaterial goods (services, and so-called intellectual property (artwork, writings, poetry, software, ideas, ...)
As we saw before, our current economic system needs to keep growing. Not only that but its actually exponential growth which keeps growing faster and faster.
So how far CAN the market grow? That's easy:
Material goods are limited by the raw materials needed for them. Raw ores, and the capacity to mine them from the planet. With the vast majority of raw materials, the capacity peak limit of world deposits has been reached or surpassed (see peak oil, peak uranium, peak copper and similar things) which means not only will the growth come to a halt, it will reach a cataclysmic state, where production is reduced rapidly while raw material pices are skyrocketing as they cant keep up with demand.
Some raw mateials - like oil - have been consumed in a non-recyclable way, but in most of these cases renewable alternatives are at least thinkable. The vast majority of goods will - once depleted - only be available in the amounts regainable from recycling. Which means new goods can only be created as old goods get dismantled to recycle the raw material.
The growth possible in that system is limited by the rate one can increase the speed of this recycling+reproduction cycle. Obviously there is room for growth, but there is an obvious limit. (After all, you don't want to buy a mobile phone to make just one call, and then throw it into a recycler so a new phone can be made from the parts) So growth will eventually come to a halt and reach a maximum level determined by the available resources on the planet in circulation.
Immaterial good growth on the other hand is limited by the rate of production (which is dependant on the amount of creators and their availale time) and the rate of consumption (which is limited by the available time of consumers) You cannot listen to more music than 24/7 even if you don't sleep. Even if you listen to a different piece on the left and on the right ear, theres an obvious consimption limit per person, as there is a production limit per artist (or service provider)
The growth possible with immaterial goods is therefore limited by the growth of population on the planet. The more people the more can be produced and consumed. (Unless you use machines to produce - some say cheap soap operas can already be written by computers. But they still need to be consumed by someone stupid enough to waste their time on them, or ots completely pointless)
People however can only produce and consume immaterial goods while they have leasure time not required to obtain material goods required for live, so theres a limit here with a link to material goods.
Also the amount of people on the planet is limited by material resources directly as people need to feed and drink and need place to live. Some say the amount of world population, the planet can sustain long term has already been surpassed at 8 billion - others say if the inequalities between rich and poor countries are levelled (and everyone lives at the standard of the average poor Ethiopian !!!!!) the world MIGHT be able to sustain 10-15 billion ish.
(Mind you though that at thet level of poverty the ability to produce and consume immaterial goods would be quite limited)
We have already seen the wars fought over oil in the last ten years. They say China is planning one step ahead of such, they are actually buying up Farmland! in other countries (Afrika and eastern Europe) to be able to sustain their population with such crucial material goods as food. Once that will be disputed over, we will see a different quality of wars, because whoever looses that will literally starve.
As for the economic system, well its main driving factor - growth - is going to collapse like the empty shell it has already become.
So yes, with that assessment of the global situation, I think investing in ammunition is not the worst idea.
If in doubt though, I'd also get a knife or a sword. It doesn't run outa ammo!
This 2012 article makes a nice observation about several subject. All documented.
http://www.newleftproject.org/index.....to_u.s._empire
http://www.newleftproject.org/index.....to_u.s._empire
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